The Orwells are THE Real Deal

Chicago – Warning: If you can’t deal with mosh pits, crowd surfing, and a little blood, sweat, and tears, then an Orwells concert is NOT for you… or perhaps you just need to grab a seat in the balcony. But if you can let loose, get crazy, and go with the flow, I highly recommend you take one in. They are THE real deal. I can attest. I saw The Orwells tear up Lincoln Hall for a sold out April Fools’ Day show, along with Twin Peaks, and it was frickin’ awesome! These rockers have been making the Midwest raunchy since high school, but now that they’ve left the halls of suburbia and are able to tour regularly, they’ve been bringing their crazy, punk-fueled shows to the rest of the world. If you ask me, I’d say 2014 is destined to be the “Year of the Orwells.” It’s only the start of April and these five guys have already toured with the Arctic Monkeys, played the Weezer Cruise, sold out plenty of headlining gigs in the U.S. and UK, and to top it off, they created a media frenzy with their killer performance on Letterman. Oh, and did I mention they have an album coming out in June? However, for Mario Cuomo, Matt O’Keefe, Dominic Corso, Henry and Grant Brinner, it’s no big thing; it’s all just another day, another stage, doing what they do best: melting faces.

The guys started the night out for their hometown fans, friends, and family with “Suspended.” Instantly the crowd propelled into chaos, with everyone on the packed floor jumping and thrashing about. Girls could be seen shaking and screaming wildly, professing their love for the boys, especially Mario. Throngs of young ladies were practically molesting Mr. Cuomo. Some even crowd surfed in order to climb on stage and try to steal a hug or kiss or both. Cuomo quipped, “Man, I gotta start checking IDs. I do take fakes, though.” Mario was extremely generous with his affection, giving out hugs, high fives, and kisses. He even gave one guy a noogie and then planted a good juicy pucker atop his head. The band played a few songs from Remember When, but most of the night was filled with new songs, like “Dirty Sheets,” “North Ave,” “Southern Comfort,” and “Let It Burn.” In fact, the guys pretty much played all of Disgraceland.

Of course these lovers of Motown sound also covered The Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup,” which was simply fantastic. Speaking of, I had a little Motown discussion with Mario and Matt during our Q&A before the show. Unfortunately, the universe pulled a cruel April Fools’ prank on me and corrupted my audio files, but have no fear Orwells fans because I’m going to fill you in on the jist of our convo based on what I remember. By now you’ve heard that their sophomore album Disgraceland is due out in June. Matt said it’s basically an ode to the Midwest. Has their songwriting shifted now that they’ve finished high school? Yes and no. Obviously they won’t continue to write songs about getting suspended, but their writing is still centered around trying to get laid, drinking, trying to get laid, smoking, and getting laid. Craziest moment on the Weezer cruise that they were able to share without getting anyone arrested: Mario passed out naked in a puddle of bile and blood. Thankfully he did so in his cabin and not poolside because that would’ve been one really awful sunburn! Matt’s favorite tour souvenirs are cowboy hats. Mario really does love Diana Ross and the Supremes. He practically drooled as he went on about how hot it is to see three curvaceous women on stage in tight, shiny dresses. (Now we all know what a pubescent Mario was dreaming about.) And finally for all you Chicagoans, we talked baseball. Mario hates baseball, so that leaves us with an even four. It’s a 50/50 split for Cubs vs. Sox fans. However, as their tour manager, Drew, is a Cubs fan, I’m going to let him fill in for Mario, bringing it back to five, and say Cubs win 3-2! We have to let the Cubbies win something, right?

The Orwells ended their set with the single that’s been getting plenty of radio play, “Who Needs You.” Everyone went nuts. Even the balcony got a little feisty. Members of Twin Peaks came out to jump off the stage and crowd surf. Though, what really topped the night off was when the fellas came back on stage for an encore and performed “Now I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Iggy & The Stooges. Fans climbed to the stage, crowded around Cuomo, and sang with him. Eventually everyone – including Mario – jumped off the stage into the hands and arms of those who braved the pit. I haven’t seen a show that crazy in ages. Once the crowd dispersed, kids could be seen searching the floor for their shoes, shirts, and even some unmentionables. Girls were squealing, “OMG, I can’t believe I touched him!” It sure was one heck of a show.

Before The Orwells played, local band Twin Peaks put on an equally entertaining show and warmed up the stage and the crowd. These “real” Chicago guys, who have been touring with The Orwells for the past month, had their fair share of fans in the crowd, making their April Fools’ prank a little hard to pull off. Connor Brodner, Jack Dolan, Clay Frankel, and Cadien Lake James had four youngins take the stage, announce, “We’re Twin Peaks,” and play the hit “Baby Blue.” Despite it not pulling the wool over most people’s eyes, it sure had fans cracking up. Myself included! The real Twin Peaks dudes came out after and rocked everyone’s socks off, with old songs and new. Like The Orwells, these four have been making music together since high school. They released their first LP, Sunken, shortly after graduating. Their fresh and raucous punk rock has had everyone and their mom labeling them “the next best thing out of Chicago.”

The Orwells will be releasing Disgraceland on June 3. You can keep up with their tour dates on Facebook. Twin Peaks will soon be releasing their second album, and they’ll be playing Pitchfork in July. You can also check out their Facebook for further tour announcements.

(All photos by Sarah Hess: smhimaging.com)

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.

You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.